Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



No 877,800. PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908. B. ROBERTS.

MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION FILED 001'.25.1907.

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No. 877,800. PATENTED JAN. 28, 1908.

- E, ROBERTS.

MAIL BAG GATGHER AND DELIVERER.

APPLICATION TILED 0OT.25.1907.

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m, 4 M v A TTOHNE Y8 EDWARD ROBERTS, OF ISHPEMING. MICHIGAN.

MAIL-BAG GATCHER AND DELIVERER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1908.

Application filed October 25. 1907. Serial No. 399084.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD ROBERTS, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, and a resident of Ishpeming, in the county of Marquette andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improvement in apparatus for handling mail bags; andconsists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts aswill be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention as inuse. Fig. 2 is a detail face view partly in section of the crane for useon the cars. Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section on about line 33 ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar section showing the parts in a differentposition from that shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan view ofa portion of the crane. Fig. 6 is a detail top plan view illustratingthe reversibility of the double armed bag catcher, and Fig. 7 is adetail view' illustrating said. bag catcher, parts being shown insection.

In carrying out the invention, I employ a crane A for'application to acar, and a catcher to be supported alongside the track. The crane A, ofwhich I may employ two, one at each side of the doorway C, as shown infull and dotted lines Fig. 1, is pivoted at A at one end to the car soit may be turned out to the full line position shown in Fig. 1 for use,or into the dotted line position shown in the same figure when not inuse, and when turned out for use the crane rests against the wall of thedoorway and may be secured by a turn button D, pivoted to thecar so itmay be turned to the full line position shown in Fig. 1 to hold thecrane in position for use or may be turned down, as indicated in dottedlines in Fig. 1 to release the crane and permit the same to beadjustedto the dotted line position shown in the same figure. This cranetherefore may be swung between this position for use and the otherposition and in its other or dotted position will be housed entirelywithin the car so it will not be a source of danger and when turned toposition for use will be securely held in such position by the turnbutton shown in Fig. 1, before described. Near its outer end the crane Ais provided with means for holding and releasing the bag carryingring E.This ring is of sufficient size and strength to support a number of bagsand in practice any desired number of bags is attached to the ring, aswill be understood from Fig. 1 and the ring is of su'l'licient size toreceive and permit the operation within it of the head or abuttingportion F of the latch F, which latch operates to hold the retainingportion G in position to secure the ring E in the operation of theinvention as presently described.

The crane A forms a support for the ring holding and securing devicesand is provided on its rear side with a central pin H on which the ringis suspended and with side pins H which are arranged above the ring andlimit the upward and swinging movement thereof. These pins H and Hproject rearwardly from the crane and the ring is simply slipped overthe pin H from the rear so that it will readily drop from the pin H whenthe retaining device presently described, is released by the freeing ofthe latch F. This retaining device G is pivoted at G and bears in theposition of parts shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 against the upper portion ofthe ring E and holds said ring on the pin H; If now the plate G bereleased it may be swung to the position shown in Fig. 4 and thusrelease the ring with the attached bags so the latter may be held by thecatcher. The retaining plate G is provided at its upper end with theforwardly projecting arm or lug G which engages in the position of partsshown in Fig. 3 with the corresponding lug F on the upper end of thelatch F. I thus provide the retaining plate and the latch withinterengaging parts so that the latch when adjusted to normal positionwill hold the retaining plate in position to secure the ring inconnection with the crane, as will be understood from Figs. 2 and 3 ofthe drawing. At its lower end below its pivot F the latch has a head Ffor engagement by the bag catching device, as will be understoodfromFigs. 1 and 3, so that the bag catching device releases the ring andalso catches said ring in order to support the bags carried thereby. Itwill be noticed, especially from Figs. 1 and 3, that the head F isinclined or deflected rearwardly, the inclined surface affording aglancing blow for the hook I of the catcher and also setting the saidhead nearer to the ring 0 suspend ed on the pin H, as best shown inFig.v 3. Manifestly the head F may be of any suitable size and the ringE may be of any suitable size and strength and the parts may be made ofany suitable material and may be conveniently supported to operate inthe manner and for the pur ose before described.

The ag catching device comprises a double armed yoke I whose arms 1curve toward their extremities and are provided at such points withupturned hooks I and the yoke I is provided at its middle with adepending shaft I journaled vertically in a tubular upright. J, so itcan be turned between the positions shown in full and dotted lines Fig.6. The shaft I and upright J are provided with coincident openings I andJ through which a pin K may be passed to secure the catcher in theposition shown in full lines in the same figure. By this means thecatcher may be set to receive bags from trains going in one direction orthe other as may be necessary in the practical operation of theinvention. It will be noticed in this connection that the pin K can beconveniently removed to permit the adjustment of the catching device andthen inserted to hold the'same in any desired position.

The upright J may be steadied in position by the strut braces J, seeFig. 1, and is designed in practical use to be supported at stations ordepots where it is deslred to deliver the bags.

In operation it will be noticed the bags are secured to the ring E inany suitable manner and any desired number of bags may be so secured andthe ring may be applied to the crane when the latter is within the carand the latter is moving rapidly toward the point where it may bedesired to deliver the bags. The crane may then be swung to the positionshown in Fig. 1 and secured by the latch or fastening D and the head orabutment F Within the ring will be in position to strike the arm I ofthe catcher nearest the car. As the car approaches the catcher the hookI of the catcher will strike the head F, throw the latch to positionshown in Fig. 4, and thus release the retaining plate G so the ring willdrop upon the catcher arm I and will be prevented by the hook I fromslipping off said arm. Manifestly the arms I may be of any suitablelength found necessary or desirable in securing the bags and it will beunderstood that the invention will be found especially useful indelivering a number of bags from express trains at points where it maybe desired to subsequently deliver such bags to accommodation trains tobie dropped at different stations along the roa It will be noticed theconstruction is simple, and can be inexpensively made and applied to acar now in use as well as those in the course of construction, and it isstrong and durable and will efficiently operate for the desired purpose.

I claim 1. The combination in an apparatus for handling mail bags, of acrane pivoted at one end to the car, a latch for securing the crane inposition for use, a ring supporting pin at the rear side of the crane,pins on the crane to overlie a ring held on the supporting pin, aswinging retaining plate for securing the ring on the supporting pinthesaid plate being provided at its upper end with a forwardly projectingarm or portion, a latch pivoted between its ends to the crane and havingat its upper end a rearwardly proj ecting arm engaging with that of theretaining plate and provided at its lower end with a head or abutmentportion for engagement by a catcher device whereby said device mayoperate to free the latch from the retaining plate, and a bag catchercomprising a double armed yoke having its arms provided with upturnedhooks and provided at its middle with a depending shaft and an uprightin which said shaft is mounted to turn whereby the catcher may beadjusted to receive bags from trains moving in either direction,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination in an apparatus for handling mail bags, of a carcrane having a ring support, a retaining device for holding the ring onsaid support and a latch for securing the retaining device in positionto hold the ring and having a projecting head or abutment portion belowthe ring support for engagement by the catching device, substantially asset forth.

3. In apparatus substantially as described a crane, a ring support onone side of the crane, a ring retaining device on the other side of thecrane for holding the ring on its support, and a latch on the oppositeside of the crane from the retaining device and having meansinterengaging with the said device for holding the same in position tosecure a ring upon its support, said latch having a portion forengagement by a bag catching device, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a car of a swinging crane pivoted thereto andhaving a ring supporting pin, a retaining plate pivoted to the crane andmovable to position to secure a ring upon said pin, and a latch pivotedto the crane and interengaging with the retaining plate whereby it maysecure the latter in position to hold the ring on the pin and to freesaid plate to release the ring, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a crane, of a pin or projection thereon forsupporting a ring, and projections on opposite sides of said supportingpin to overlie a ring held thereon whereby to prevent any displacementof the ring, a retaining device for holding the ring on its supportingpin, and a latch for securing and releasing said retaining device,substantially as set forth.

6. In an apparatus substantially as described a double armed bag catcherpivoted vertically at its middle whereby it may be adjusted to set oneof its arms toward a track and facing in one direction or its other armtoward such track and facing in the opposite direction to adapt it toreceive bags from trains moving in one or the other direction and a bagsupporting ring to be received by said arms and movable along thelatter, sub

stantially as set forth.

7. In an apparatus substantially as described a double armed bag catcherprovided between its ends with a depending shaft and a tubular uprightreceiving said shaft whereby the catcher may be adjusted to set one orthe other of its arms to position to receive the bag and a bagsupporting ring to be received by said arms and movable along thelatter, substantially as set forth.

8. In an. apparatus substantially as described, the combination of adouble armed catcher having a central depending shaft, a tubular uprightreceiving said shaft, the shaft and upright having coincident openings,and a pin fitted to said openings whereby it may operate to secure thecatcher in different adjustments, substantially as set forth.

9. In an apparatus substantially as described the combination with acrane provided with a ring supporting pin, of a retaining plate adaptedto overlie a ring fitted on said plate, and a latch having meansengaging with the retaining plate and provided with a head or abutmentportion projecting below the ring supporting pin whereby it may lieopposite the ring supported on said pin, substantially as set forth.

EDVVARD ROBERTS.

l/Vitn esses:

SoLoN C. KEMoN, PERRY B. TURPIN.

